Book: The Windsor Knot
Author: S.J. Bennett
Pages: 282
Read on: Kindle
Read in: ~3 hours
Plot Summary: The first book in a highly original and delightfully clever crime series in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves crimes while carrying out her royal duties.
It is the early spring of 2016 and Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle in advance of her 90th birthday celebrations. But the preparations are interrupted by the shocking and untimely death of a guest in one of the Castle bedrooms. The scene leads some to think the young Russian pianist strangled himself, yet a badly tied knot leads MI5 to suspect foul play. When they begin to question the Household’s most loyal servants, Her Majesty knows they’re looking in the wrong place.
For the Queen has been living an extraordinary double life ever since her teenage years as “Lilibet.” Away from the public eye and unbeknownst to her closest friends and advisers, she has the most brilliant skill for solving crimes. With help from her Assistant Private Secretary, Rozie Oshodi, a British Nigerian officer recently appointed to the Royal Horse Artillery, the Queen discreetly begins making inquiries. As she carries out her royal duties with her usual aplomb, no one in the Royal Household, the government, or the public knows that the resolute Elizabeth won’t hesitate to use her keen eye, quick mind, and steady nerve to bring a murderer to justice.
Things I Liked:
1. The premise of this book seemed insane yet wildly interesting! The Queen of England being a secret sleuth! Imagine that! It sounded insane yet oddly intriguing and so, I just had to pick it up!
2. After a young Russian pianist is found murdered at the Windsor Castle, MI5 and Scotland Yard thinks Putin had something to do with it. After all, the young man was a vocal critic of the Russian President on his blog. However, something was bothering Queen Elizabeth II about this murder. It didn't seem like it was an espionage-related or a politically-motivated killing. So, the Queen decides to do some investigating on her own!
3. The Queen uses the help of her Assistant Secretary and an ex-aide to do the on-the-ground interviewing of people close to the victim, which makes a lot of sense because one can't expect the Queen to go around asking people about the dead young man! I really enjoyed the Queen's "voice" in this book. I know next to nothing about how she is in real life, but however she was depicted in this book seemed sufficiently charming.
4. The actual resolution of the murder mystery is nicely done and is quite decent! Not giving much away here, in case you actually go ahead and read the book, which you should because it is good fun!
Things I Didn't Like:
1. Nothing moves on the murder mystery till about the 45% mark of the book, which is a bit frustrating! The author spends a lot of time in world building- the Queen's daily life, the kind of routine she keeps, her various commitments, her interactions with the DOE and her staff etc. etc. Now, look, I am all for a good world building, but I would've appreciated some movement on the murder mystery front as well. The action only picks up in the latter half of the book and then it is almost very quickly, fairly suddenly, resolved. A bit rushed, in my opinion.
Rating: 3.5/5
(An enjoyable crime caper, especially, if you are a fan of the British royal family and are likely to enjoy learning about the Queen's everyday life, routine, engagements, palace details etc.!)
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